The Heart of Auradon: A Pirate's Tale
by T. F. Crosby
Summary: As his home lays dying, a young pirate waits patiently, alone, for the moment his true love returns to him. Across the sea, in a world full of life, a princess longs for the moment she'll be in her lover's arms forever, while a young king stands determined to save a dying land, even if it's only a single soul.
1. Prologue

**Descendants**

 **The Heart of Auradon: A Pirate's Tale**

 **Prologue**

The Isle of the Lost was dying. Something was killing it. It was slow and silent, but very real. The main island and the Isle of the Doomed were gloomy and dire _and even scary_ , but they were still full of life. Though maybe not the kind of life the people of Auradon appreciated, it was still there. Ben understood that. And he appreciated it. He admired the Isle for what it was; a silent and fearsome beauty blooming in a seemingly god-forsaken land. He had seen it firsthand and hadn't truly realized the gravity of what had taken hold of the Isle until the first villain child fell deathly ill. Someone he knew.

How it had all been discovered by the young king was a miracle in itself. There was a strange feeling within him that had awoken him early one morning eight months ago. At that time, it had been almost a year since he had graduated from Auradon Prep, along with Mal, Evie, and Jay. Carlos was on the cusp of his graduation. Both Mal and Evie had gone off to college (Evie making as many trips back to the Isle as she could, sometimes with Mal) and Jay had turned pro in tourney while also taking college courses online. They all had come a long way. _Even him_. Everything had been going wonderfully, but on that particular morning something didn't feel right. It wasn't anything in Auradon. He had done a thorough check with all the states in the kingdom. All was well. A serious problem evolving on the Isle of the Lost was not the first thing that entered his mind. It was the home of villains. Problems were always running rampant, but the people there took care of it in their own way. It was for this reason the thought of anything so serious beginning to plague the Isle of the Lost didn't enter his mind; not right away.

The strange feeling wouldn't go away, no matter how many times he checked with every state, from his own home to Agrabah to Neverland. It had to be related the Isle of the Lost. He had felt an odd connection to the Isle since he had first stepped foot on it to go after Mal. Initially, he had brushed it aside; but before they had left the Isle, he noticed – though only for a second – a look in Harry Hook's eyes that matched the odd feeling he had. The moment passed quickly and all went their separate ways.

Shortly before their high school graduation, on yet another excursion to the Isle of the Lost and a little sea-faring adventure, he – and eventually Mal, Jay and Carlos – discovered something about Evie that completely blew their minds. It made Mal and Jay a little more than annoyed and sent Jay into "big brother mode." The revelation kicked up quite a storm between the two warring Isle factions, but when the proverbial dust finally settled all involved resigned themselves to the fact that there was nothing on the Isle or in Auradon that would come between the two star-crossed lovers; Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen Grimhilde and Harry Hook, son of the notorious Capt. James "Jas." Hook.

Theirs was a fairytale that he and Mal had to admit surpassed their own. Both of their stories came with many trials and tribulations and eventually they rose above all, but Evie and Harry would receive the short end of the stick. While his and Mal's story would continue to be told for years to come, what would befall Evie and Harry would live within the pages of a tragic love story.

 _Not all fairytales have a happy ending_.

Word quickly came to him from the merfolk of a brutal storm descending upon the Isle of the Lost. It was very unusual, and in some respects a bit frightening, for a storm of that caliber to hit the Isle, or Auradon, for that matter. This clearly wasn't the work of magic as all magical objects were accounted for. He had to catch a glimpse of the storm himself. And when he did, part of him wished he hadn't.

The storm had come out of nowhere. And while the storm itself hadn't done as much physical damage to the Isle as it probably should have, what it left in its wake would haunt Ben for the rest of his life.

* * *

At Auradon's most extreme western point where, if squinting, one could see the sunlight shimmering on the magical barrier that engulfed the Isle of the Lost – and its more frightening sister island, aptly named the Isle of the Doomed – a beautiful, young princess sat atop a hill overlooking the sea. In her sight lay the home of the boy she loved more than anyone.

Though he was no true royal heir, he was her Prince Charming, the man who had stolen her heart when they were only children. He was the boy who disobeyed orders; who wasn't afraid of anyone, or anything; never followed the rules, yet always followed his heart. The boy who gave her, her first thimble. A young man, confident, fearless, and wildly unpredictable.

Her pirate. Her prince.

 _The love of her life._

* * *

Across the Sea of Serenity, on a lowly island contained by a magical, domed barrier, sitting upon a crag, a mere arms-length from the shimmering dome, a lonely, young pirate awaited the arrival of the girl that had stolen his heart over ten years ago.

Many would say she wasn't a real princess, but their opinions meant nothing to him. To him, she was a true princess, _his princess_. She was unlike any girl he had ever seen or ever known. And he would do anything for her, anything to protect her. Her kindness and generosity was often hidden. Such things were unheard of on the Isle, at least, openly. She brought out his softer side, a side only his sisters and his cat had ever seen before.

There was no one he loved more.

His bonnie lass. His princess.

 _The love of his life._

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey-O,my lovely readers, I hope your day/evening is going well. Just a few notes for , this story was going to be a oneshot about the demise of the Isle of the Lost (such a happy story). However, since I've been reading _Hooks and Poison Apples_ by ForeverDelighted, I've been sucked into the Harry/Evie shipping world. This is all her fault. The basic idea of the story remains, but much of the content has shifted to focus on the relationship between Harry and Evie. I am not a writer of romance/love stories by any stretch of the imagination. I am much more a writer of friendship/family/adventure type stories, although I do tragedy/angst rather well, despite me being a rather happy person (go figure). I'm giving the romance/love story thing a shot, anyway. This story falls under tragedy as well. Yeah... so much for happily ever after.

This story follows an alternate timeline (or an alternate universe, whichever term you prefer), though much of the events of the three main books and the two movies stand, along with a few elements from Wicked World.

The "sea-faring adventure" I mention here in the prologue is a reference to a future story that will follow this particular timeline. And... that's pretty much it for now. I hope you enjoyed the prologue.

Be lovely to each other.


	2. Chapter One: A Birthday Party to Remembe

( **A/N:** From here on through however many chapters I decide to write, or can come up with, past events will be covered. Most will be from Harry's perspective (as it stands now) with some from Evie's perspective and a few from Ben's. Eventually it will culminate in the present time with Ben and the Core Four making their final trip to the Isle. But that's a ways from now. That being said...Enjoy.)

 **Chapter One: A Birthday Party to Remember**

No ominous clouds or pending rain could prevent the most elaborate, whimsical (if evil can be whimsical), and wickedly wonderful birthday party from taking place. Nor could such meteorological events prevent one six-and-a-half-year-old boy from staying home from said birthday party. It was not the party itself that had him in a state of disinclination, but the fact that it was a party for a girl. And girls were super gross. His two sisters, which by age he was sandwiched between, were more than happy to go. They were well-aware of who was hosting the birthday party and what that entailed for them. He was also aware, but unlike his sisters, he didn't give a seadog's dungbie. His younger sister danced, like the weirdo girl that she was, along in front of them as they walked from Hook's Inlet to the bazaar, while his older sister traipsed along just behind. Due to his refusal to move in a forward motion at all, his father was forced to carry him, much like one would carry books, scowling and with arms folded across his chest, stiff as a board, for the entirety of their short journey.

He was still stiff as a board and scowling when the family arrived at the party. The central bazaar was buzzing louder than usual. Streamers, balloons, and the spookiest of decorations adorned the marketplace. Pumpkins and other gourds carved with the most sinister of expressions sat atop carts, posts, walls, and tables, while even more lined pathways. A highly decorated, and rather lengthy, table sat just in view of the bedroom belonging to a purple-haired girl. The room was situated within Bargain Castle, the home of the most evil and most feared villain of all, Maleficent. And the little girl peering out over the balcony was her six-year-old daughter, Mal.

The boy glanced up, scoffing, then quickly turned his attention to what lay before him and all the other little urchins of the Isle the Lost. All manner of soured sweets adorned the table. The two-story, wormy, sour apple cake set at the opposite end from where he was. But it wasn't the sweets or the cake the had his attention. It was whom the birthday party was for that piqued his interest. At the far end of the table, near the cake, seated on a makeshift throne was a wee, bonnie lass, with hair as blue as the ocean and eyes like its darkest depths. He felt his heart flutter off to her. Of course, being six-and-a-half, and the fact the girls were super gross, he had no clue what the feeling he was, well, feeling was; other than it could possibly have been the beginnings of a burp. He waited for a moment. Nope, not a burp. It was definitely something else.

As he tipped his tricorn to her, which made her smile at him, his attention, as was every other child's, was drawn to the voice of the Evil Queen announcing the time for them to 'dig in' to their soured sweets and baddie bags; but not before singing "Rotten Birthday to You" to the little, blue-haired princess, _whom he learned was called Evie_ , first. After the song was sung and the cake was served and so forth, all the little villains-in-training tore into their baddie bags. The dilapidated containers, which reflected the condition of the island's buildings, revealed an assortment of evil sidekicks – from cackling, baby hyenas, no quieter than Shenzi, Bonzai and Ed; to little, squawking parrots from Iago's flock; and tiny moray eels, much like Flotsam and Jetsam, swimming around in pairs in fishbowls. He chose a tiny, pouncing and rather adorable black kitten from Lucifer's latest litter. His older sister had chosen the eels, and his younger sister, not surprisingly, picked one of that obnoxious parrot's offspring. He grumbled at her, and then promptly returned his attention to his blue-haired princess.

 _Wait_. Did he just think of her as _his_ princess?

He shook his head and shoulders, which reverberated to the tiny, black kitten – effectively shaking it – that was safely tucked in his shirt with its little kitten head and forepaws sticking out. He looked back at Evie, noticing she had also chosen a kitten. Probably a girl kitten. He had picked a boy kitten, so… Why not? It made perfect sense is six-and-a-half-year-old mind.

"Looks like someone has a girlfriend," his older sister teased, noticing him staring at Evie.

"Awa' wi ye," he retorted, shoving her.

She laughed in reply, walking away.

He returned his attention to the birthday girl once again, smiling when they, for the first time, locked eyes. She smiled at him as he continued to smile at her until he finally realized what was going on (thanks to Gil for reminding him that girls were super gross). He then frowned. So did she. And then he stuck his tongue out at her. When her mother wasn't looking, she reciprocated.

Had he been paying any attention at all after reminding his friend that girls were super gross, Gil, the youngest son of Gaston, would have recognized the blossoming love between his friend and the little, blue-haired girl sitting at the opposite end of the table. But something far more entertaining and interesting than love, and especially girls, had caught his eye.

Through the rising merriment, for the entertainment of the little miscreants, Capt. Hook braved the snapping jaws of Tick-Tock, the crocodile that had a taste for his flesh, by sticking his head into the reptile's mouth. Gil began shaking his friend to get his attention, nearly shaking the poor little kitten out of his new master's shirt. The boy turned around, scowling, to see his father's latest antics. Sometimes he wondered if his hand wasn't the only thing the man had lost. Of course, Gil thought it was great. (Much better than watching his older twin brother show off.) Even though he grimaced at Gil for distracting him, he did agree.

As he opened his mouth to speak, a loud, booming voice echoed throughout the bazaar. "This celebration is over!"

The boy cast his eyes upward to the balcony of the looming castle. Maleficent had finally made her appearance. Many of the children hid behind their parents.

"Now go, shoo, scatter like the little vermin you are," she continued. "And you, Evil Queen and your daughter!"

He growled while Maleficent cawed on about his princess's banishment and the little, purple haired urchin of hers glared down at them with her little, wicked smile (at least, that's what he surmised. He couldn't actually see her face that well). He stood halfway behind his father, holding onto the man's belt, scowling up at the two fairies in the castle; the tiny, black kitten in his shirt hissed at them for good measure.

Pathetic, he thought. All of them, including his own father, afraid of someone who had no more power than any of them. He wasn't afraid of her or her little brat. _Not him, not Harry James Hook._ His new kitten hissed and then meowed as if agreeing with his thoughts.

Thunder crackled through the sky as the clouds above them exploded with rain. Everyone dispersed as quickly as possible. Stuffing the kitten down into his shirt to keep him from getting wet, Harry looked back to see his princess running in the opposite direction of him. Then suddenly, something other than the rain hit him. The Castle Across the Way, Evie's home, wasn't that far from his. Well, sort of. It was all relative. Or so his father said.

Harry grinned maniacally. According to Maleficent, Evie and her mother no longer existed, and no one was to go near the castle. He scoffed at the idea. That dragon (no, he did not call her a dragon because at one time she could turn into one) couldn't stop him from seeing _his_ princess if he wanted to. Harry Hook was born among pirates; a true sneaky lot. And he was no exception. He would find a way to see his princess, no matter how long it took. He had plenty of time to devise a plan. There was no need to hurry.

Because right now, _girls were still super gross._

* * *

 **A/N:** In the first book it states that Evie chose one of Iago's little squawkers, but I decided to go with them both choosing kittens. (A pirate picking a parrot is a bit too cliche. And also a bit of a tongue-twister. Although CJ does chose a parrot.)

I almost killed my brain trying to figure out where everything on the Isle is relative to everything else on the Isle. What I could find didn't help much. So I'm going to go with my own interpretation (or whatever). It shouldn't be that far off, but it's also not all that important to the story. I'm just a nerd. So anyway, the next chapter will take place four years after this one, which I state in the chapter itself, so I don't know why I'm telling you here.

A big, huge thank you to my reviewers, followers, and...favoriters?

Be lovely to each other.


	3. Chapter Two: Scarecrow and Rattail

**Yay...! It's finally here! Sorry it took so long. It should've been up earlier, but...meh.**

 **This chapter revolves around Harry and Gil. It's a set up for future chapters. It was also a lot of fun to write. I hope it's worth the wait.**

Chapter 2: Scarecrow and Rattail

Four years had passed since Harry Hook had first seen his princess. Now nearing eleven, girls were no longer super gross. The fact that he let Uma boss him around was proof enough. Then again, she was Uma, and whether he still thought girls were gross or not, she would be ordering him and Gil around. Whenever Uma was hanging out with Mal, he and Gil would often find themselves running around – usually on rooftops – with maybe one of the best thieves around, Jay, the son of Jafar.

This was one of those times.

The three boys ran and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, trying not to fall through, all the while looking for good stuff to steal. _Good stuff_ ; not something that was readily available on the Isle of the Lost.

Part of him had to laugh at the fact that Jay was a thief; exactly what his father's enemy was. Not to mention a street rat. Which in many ways was what all the Isle kids were, even though they all had at least one parent around. Now how much that particular parent cared about them was up for debate. Back on the subject of Jafar's former enemy being a teenage thief, he really didn't have much room to talk. Well, not on his father's behalf anyway. His own father's enemy had also been a kid – one his age. And a little bratty one at that. One that cut his father's hand off and fed it to a crocodile, but a kid nonetheless. Now Gil's father, Gaston, had a real enemy. And not the girl, Belle. Although girls did make formidable enemies – _in many ways_. Gaston's mortal enemy was none other than the king of Auradon himself, Beast. Harry wondered what his real name was; for some reason, the name _Vincent_ popped into his head.

"Harry," Jay shouted. "Whad ya stop for?"

"He's just staring at the Castle-Across-the-Way. Again," Gil replied.

"Why?" The wily little thief asked.

Gil smirked. "Because that's where his girlfriend lives," he said in a singsong voice.

Had Harry been paying attention, and regardless if the comment was true or not, he would've clobbered the blond right then and there. But as it was, the budding pirate's eyes and mind were on the looming castle in the distance.

"You're not thinkin' about goin' over there, are you?" Jay asked, snapping him out of his reverie.

"So what if I am," Harry snapped. "That ol' Dragon cannae stop me."

Jay furrowed his brow. "Cannae?"

"Can't" Gil translated.

"Yeah, I knew that."

"No, you didn't."

"Are ye two done?" Harry said, narrowing his eyes.

"We're done," the blond answered.

Harry turned his gaze back to the Castle-Across-the-Way as Jay asked, "and how, exactly, are you gonna get there without being seen?"

The budding pirate looked at him and gave him that typical Hook smirk.

"Or see that girl without her mom finding out?" Gil added.

"I have me ways," he replied, jumping down to the roof of a shorter building.

Jay cocked his right eyebrow. "Yer a weird kid, Hook."

"But _we_ hang out with him," Gil said as he and Jay followed Harry. "So, if he's weird… What's that make us?"

Jay grimaced. Gil had an annoying point, but he wasn't about to answer the son of Gaston. It would only encourage him. The little thief's grimace was matched by Harry's sigh. Gil could be exasperating sometimes, but if he was any other way, Harry probably wouldn't like him. And Gil was definitely smarter than his two older brothers. He wasn't the most clever person on the Isle, but he _wa_ s the most loyal. Almost to a fault.

Although he would never admit it out loud, Gil was the brother he never had; the brother he wished he had. Jay was okay, but he didn't know the son of Jafar as well as he knew Gil. _Was it too late to trade in his sisters?_

"Yer doin' it again, Hook," Jay said flatly, bumping into Harry who had stopped once again. "Dude, why don't you just go over there?"

"I need a plan," he replied.

Gil furrowed his brow. "Since when do you plan anything?"

Harry growled at him.

"What?"

The shorter boy (Harry had yet to hit his second growth spurt. Gil had yet to hit his as well, but that's neither here nor there) whirled around to face him. "Remember how we talked about _not_ sayin' _exactly_ what ye think, _exactly_ when ye think it?"

Gil thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah…." He fell silent for a few seconds, and promptly forgot what Harry had just said. "Hey, if you actually make it over to Evil Queen's castle, are you –"

He was cut off by a loud thud (which was probably just as well) and a high-pitched yowl. "Scarecrow," he shouted, running over to an intensely blue-eyed, cream-coated, chocolate-point Siamese cat. His cat. The cat he had chosen as his evil sidekick at Evie's sixth birthday party. "Did you follow me?" He said, picking the cat up. Scarecrow meowed in reply.

"Why'd you pick a cat, anyway?" Jay asked.

"Well, you can't exactly cuddle eels. Or even hold them," Gil replied matter-of-factly as Scarecrow batted the boy's curly, blond locks sticking out of the deep gold-colored beanie.

The other two boys stared at him. "What?"

"He does make a good point," Harry said, thinking of his own cat.

Jay shrugged. "Whatever." He was perfectly happy with his two pet eels. They made great threats if Iago got too annoying. "At least Filch and Heist don't follow me around." He paused, analyzing his own statement. "Can't follow me," he corrected.

"Too bad," Gil commented still holding his cat, the animal purring.

Harry continued to walk with the other two behind him, when he suddenly stopped and turned around. Gil nearly walked into him.

"Can ya stop doin' that," Gil growled.

"Wait. Filch and Heist?" Harry said to Jay, an eyebrow raised. "Ye couldnae come up wi' somethin' better?"

Jay looked at him blankly until his brain finally deciphered what the pirate had just said. "What?" he said with a blink. "It's perfect for what I do."

The junior Hook stared. "Yer an odd one."

Yeah, well… This 'odd one' is outa here." Jay jumped down to a rickety stair line. "See ya."

At the same moment Jay jumped off the roof of whatever building they were currently standing on, a black cat jumped up. "Rattail," Harry exclaimed, picking the short-hair up.

The cat wasn't pure black like the other kittens from Lucifer's litter had been; which was why Harry had chosen him. His black coat was spattered with tan blotches, which the young pirate liked. Rattail must've had some Siamese in him as well because he acted a lot like Gil's cat.

"Why'd you name him Rattail, anyway?" Gil asked, blinking the momentary bright sunlight out of his eyes.

"Why'd ye name yer cat Scarecrow?" Harry countered.

"You answer first." Gil wasn't going to fall for Harry's diversion tactics. He was in the habit of deflecting any question, no matter how mundane it was.

The dark-haired boy grumbled. "Fine." Gil may have a short attention span and lack the filter that should be between his brain and his mouth, but he wasn't an idiot; and he had just caught Harry in his own trap. "It's how he catches all the rats on the ship. By the tail." Gil gave a nod. "Now why did ye name him Scarecrow?"

"Because he likes to scare all the stupid crows away by my house," he answered simply.

. Harry gave him a nod of approval. They were pirates and pirates named places, ships, their animal sidekicks, and other things logically. Well, usually. And while they were not the most creative lot when it came to names, he felt that he and Gil had been pretty clever while still remaining logical. Of course, all of that was debatable.

The two boys continued along the rooftops as the sun disappeared behind the clouds once again, their cats following close behind. Although they were by no means at the highest point on the island, they still had a decent view of their surroundings. "Ya know, fer as much as it rains here, you'd think it'd be a little more green around here," Gil observed.

"It is," Harry said with a smirk. "It's just all underwater and on the rocks."

Gil grimaced. "Algae and moss don't count, Harry."

"Sure, it does."

The blond let out a guttural growl. He could be irritating, he knew that. But sometimes Harry was just as bad. And the freaky, little pirate _knew_ he could also be irritating. Uma had made sure that _both_ of them _knew_ that _both_ of them were irritating. That was probably why she liked bossing them around. And with the two of them each having an older sibling (siblings in his case), they were used to it.

Harry looked back at him. A maniacal grin was plastered on his face. "Dinnae ferget the kelp."

Gil furrowed his brow. Sometimes he really wanted to pop Harry one. Nothing hard, not enough to knock him out or even knock him down, just enough to get his attention. He knew it was bound to happen. And when it did happen, he knew that Harry will be more impressed than angry.

Finding another rickety fire escape line, the two boys and their little sidekicks made their way down into an alley. Both of them nearly gagged. _Perfect_ , Harry thought. _We just had to drop in this one_. "Watch your step," he said.

Gil was ready to vomit. "No wonder they call it Scat Alley."

The boys covered their noses and mouths as they ran out onto the main street. Although, Scarecrow and Rattail decided they had to stop and sniff nearly everything. Harry groaned with disgust. "I fergot how disgustin' animals can be."

"People can be just as disgusting," Gil said, staring at Harry.

"What? I had te pee an' there was no bathroom close by." He gave Gil an irritated look. "Besides, ye did it, too."

Gil shrugged in reply.

Uma had once made the mistake of asking them where they had suddenly disappeared to while the three of them were running around the bazaar, snatching whatever they could. When Harry replied they had to pee, it took a few moments for her to realize he was implying that neither he nor Gil had sought out an actual bathroom. Her reply to that was a simple, yet not-so-subtle "Ew!" And they replied with a collective "what?"

Their gross-out factor must have been pretty high when it came to Uma. Or was it low?

Both Harry and Gil gave a light shrug, clearly having had the same thought. They walked down the street, eyeing each vendor for something halfway decent to snag. Gil wanted to find a vest for Scarecrow, one that looked like his own. Their cats trotted right behind them, occasionally pouncing on any mouse or rat that dared show itself. Gil eyed each vendor carefully; one never knew what one vendor would have and it was usually a hodgepodge of items. While Gil was searching for something specific, Harry was stuffing his pockets with whatever looked interesting. Gil pilfered a silver-studded, dark gold-colored, leather bracelet that could act as the perfect collar for Scarecrow. Somehow, the vendors were never paying attention when he was perusing their merchandise. He wasn't sure how it reflected on him, but he did score the vest he was looking for because of it.

Harry made faces at each vendor he bothered to look at. They were not impressed. _Grown-ups. They think they're so great_ , Harry thought as he grabbed a handful of peanuts and stuffed them into his mouth, ignoring the foul-mouthed vendor screeching at him. It was also the moment he noticed Gil wasn't with him anymore. He rolled his eyes and groaned. "Now where'd he get off te?"

He looked up and down the street, finally noticing Gil standing in front of a vendor two stands down from him. The vendor was ignoring the boy. Whether it was intentional or not, Harry couldn't decide; but it didn't seem to bother Gil too terribly much. He had his hand on something laying on the table. Harry watched him for a moment, before Gil sighed, took the item and walked over to where he was standing.

"They always ignore me," Gil said to him, somewhat dejectedly.

"That may be so," Harry said with a grin, swinging his arm over his friend's shoulder, "but ye can use it to yer advantage." Harry dropped his arm to his side and stepped in front of Gil to face him. "Like ye just did." He lifted the blond's hand that held the item he had just stolen.

"Yeah, I guess," Gil sighed. "Here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a collar. "I got it for Rattail." He handed the object to Harry. "I think it's actually a bracelet, but it had a hook pendant on it."

Harry took the collar/bracelet, giving Gil a small smile; but not before making sure no one was watching them. (It was an unwritten rule on the Isle that you didn't smile. At least not in public. Gil, however, had always ignored that unwritten rule.) His eyes darted around the bazaar again. After a few moments he said quietly, "thanks. It's perfect."

Gil followed Harry's actions and then, when he was certain no one was paying attention he replied just as quietly, "yer welcome."

"Now, for the –" Harry looked around for their evil sidekicks, but like the two of them often did, their two evil feline sidekicks had disappeared. Harry groaned. "Now where'd they go?"

Gil sighed. "Come on…. Let's go find them."

The two boys wandered down the street, looking around vendor stalls and down alleyways, calling for their respective cat.

"Rattail!"

"Scarecrow!"

And for each other's cat.

"Scarecrow!"

"Rattail!"

As they passed by an alley, calling for the two animals, a loud, metallic thud drew their attention to the darkened alleyway. They stepped in, once again calling for their cats, though a bit more cautiously.

"Rattail?"

"Scarecrow?"

There was another loud thud, making both boys jump. While they could see most of the way into the alley, the back was black as pitch. They knew that that was where the thuds had to have come from. At the lighter end of the alley there had been nothing to suggest otherwise. The two boys stared down towards the end, taking a few more tentative steps to the alley.

"Scarecrow?" Gil squeaked out.

"Rattail?" Harry said, not much louder than Gil.

Both boys quickly grimaced and narrowed their eyes. _This was ridiculous. They were Isle kids. The sons of Gaston and Capt. Hook. They were not afraid of anything. They were not sissies._

"Come on," Harry said, pulling Gil along.

The boys walked farther into the alley, continuing to call for the two missing (more or less) felines.

"Where the heck could they gone off to?" Gil questioned, squinting into the darkness.

It was one of the Isle's longer alleyways, stretching between two elongated buildings that housed a large number of tenants. The first half of the alley was open to the more-often-than-not cloudy sky, while the second half was covered by heavy, wooden planks, that the two of them, and often Jay, used to cross from one rooftop to the next. It was quite possible that those were planks they had laid down themselves. The covered half of the alley was regularly used as a rain shelter (which, of course, is clearly obvious because standing out the uncovered half you would get wet). Harry and Gil had frequently used the alley as such and on one particular rainy day, Gil informed the young pirate that, at that particular time, they were standing under an 'impluvious ombrifuge.' Harry couldn't stop himself from staring at the blond.

 _"What?" Harry had asked in a manner that sounded incredulous, but one couldn't be certain._

 _"Impluvious means 'wet with rain' and ombrifuge means 'a rain shelter,'" Gil explained sagely._

 _Harry could only stare. What the heck just happened? He thought._

 _"Gil?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"How's it ye know those two words an' yet ye cannae remember what me an' Uma tell ye?"_

 _Gil shrugged. "It's a conundrum."_

 _"Yer a conundrum."_

 _The blond only smiled at him._

That wouldn't be the only time he would show himself to be such an enigma, but at the current moment they had to find their cats. And for the hundredth or so time, they called out for the absent felines.

"Scarecrow," Gil called much louder than before.

Harry followed suit with an equally as loud, "Rattail."

Their voices echoed off the walls. Silence followed for a brief moment. Then a low voice called back at them. "Are those your nicknames for each other?"

The two boys stepped back into the light, their eyes narrowed, hoping to draw whoever was attached to the voice out into view. There weren't too many kids older than them that were born on the Isle. A handful of teenagers made their home on the island, but as small children they had been sent there with their parents, or parent as the case was for most of the Isle's children. Both boys knew of at least one who had been born on the Isle shortly after his parents arrived. His father was one of the Evil Queen's huntsman. There was likely more like him, but it was no concern of Harry's or Gil's.

A figure stepped into the light, much bigger and much older than them. The boys looked up at him, both standing in a fighting stance. "Isn't this adorable," the man said coolly.

He bent down to face the two of them. "Let me guess," he continued, rather condescendingly, "Blondie here with his stringy, straw hair is Scarecrow," he looked Harry up and down "and you…. Yeah, you definitely look like a rat."

Harry scowled, but his expression quickly changed to a smirk. Gil had given him the slightest of a nudge; a nudge that had a very special meaning.

"Ye know," the young pirate said, looking him dead in the eyes, "it's not very wise te make my friend mad."

"Oh, really? What are you little squirts gonna do?" the man said, a little too snarky for his own good.

"Gil."

The blond boy stepped into Harry spot, a subtle scowl on his face. Normally cheerful, Gil could be intimidating if he truly wanted to be. Even at eleven – almost eleven. And right now, was one of those times.

The man standing in front of him wasn't about to admit to being intimidated by anyone, especially a scrawny little kid. "What're you gonna do, boy."

Harry took a few careful steps back, smiling gleefully all the while.

His and Gil's current adversary took note of it. "What're you smilin' at, you little –"

Adults always fell for it. "You better not be tryin' ta call my friend names," Gil said happily, cutting a man off.

"Huh?" The man raised an eyebrow at Harry and slowly turned back to the blond boy.

Gil grinned. "Hi."

The boy's fist connected with his nose. _Hard_. The man fell backwards, cursing. Blood gushed from his nostrils as he roared in anger. "You little –"

"Come on!" Harry shouted over the man.

He and Gil ran out of the alley and down the street, laughing.

"Ye do look like a scarecrow," Harry said as they slowed to a walk.

"Yeah? Well, you do look like a rat," Gil retorted.

They glared at each other, and after a few moments started to laugh. Their laughter, however, was soon broken by a series of meows; some rather shrill. Turning to their right, they saw what they had been searching for. Sitting atop a stack of apple boxes were none other than Scarecrow and Rattail.

"Where have you two been?" Gil scolded as the two boys sauntered over to the waiting felines. "We've got somethin' for ya boys."

Gil pulled out the vest he had found for Scarecrow and put it on the cat without any protest from the animal.

"So that's what that was," Harry said as he put the bracelet/collar with the hook pendant around Rattail's neck. "Perfect."

Gil completed Scarecrow's _new look_ with the bracelet/collar he had also found for him and the four of them began walking towards Ursula's Fish and Chip Shoppe.

"So," Gil began, "any ideas on how yer gonna see Evie?"

Harry thought for a moment before replying with a short and simple "nope."

* * *

 **A few notes.**

 **Besides Harry and Gil's friendship being important and being a major part of the story later on, the two cats are important and they will be back. The next chapter will be more of a Harry/Evie chapter. It will also introduce a young Prince Ben and his perspective on the Isle. The next few chapters will remain fairly upbeat. Not sure how many chapters there will be between this one and the excerpt from the prelude to the connected story "Silver Tide" (the sea-faring adventure mentioned in the prologue). The excerpt is ready to go, so that will be up fairly quickly after whatever chapter comes directly before it. (Hope that wasn't confusing. It made perfect sense in my head.)**

 **Fun with Dragon Naturally Speaking software: In this chapter's funny moment by Dragon, when I said 'A maniacal grin was plastered on his face' Dragon understood it as 'Michael Grant was plastered on his face.' I have no idea who Michael Grant is or why he was plastered on Harry's face. Maybe he's a pro tourney player and Harry had his card stuck on his forehead. Who knows? Anything can happen on the Isle.**

 **Well, until next time you wonderful people you.**

 **And remember, Be lovely to each other. The world is crappy enough.**


	4. Chapter Three: The Boy in the Window

**Chapter Three: The Boy in the Window**

"Are you even aware of how long you've been putting this off?" Gil said as he and Harry made their way to Ursula's Fish and Chip Shoppe.

"I haven't been puttin' it off," Harry argued.

"Okay, fine," the blond conceded. "You've been _planning_ for almost three years."

"Give it a rest, Gil," Harry growled.

Gil grinned. "Oh, what's wrong, baby Hook? Don't want anyone to know you're in love?"

Harry's growl grew deeper. He whipped around, taking a swipe at him; but the blond easily dodged the other boys new prized-possession – a shiny, handheld, silver hook. Gil had given Harry the hook, though he wouldn't say where he had gotten it, after the dimwit tried to get Tick-Tock to bite his hand off. Of course, just as Gil expected, the old crocodile ignored him.

Gil was still very much aware that he wasn't the cleverest or smartest person on the Isle, but come on…. Deliberately trying to get yourself maimed just so you can be more like your father? Seriously? Part of him admired Harry for that. He had no desire to be like his own father. Gaston wasn't the worst, but Gil still preferred to be his own person. And the only other person he knew that felt something similar was Carlos De Vil. The kid was quiet and a bit nerdy, but Gil liked him.

When it came to Harry, however, being just like his father was everything. Whether or not he desired to accomplish what his father failed to do – kill Peter Pan, take over Neverland, etc. – Gil wasn't certain. The one thing he was sure of, though, was that Harry was not one hundred percent mentally stable. Perhaps, part of it could be attributed to him being the only son of Captain James Hook and Hook placing all his dreams of taking revenge on Pan onto him; despite having two daughters who were just as capable of doing so – and probably more mentally stable. And perhaps, part of it was just genetics.

All of it worried Gil. He hoped Evie would be able to help Harry in a way that neither he nor Uma could. _If he would ever grow a backbone and go see her and quit making excuses why he hadn't yet._

"Would you grow a backbone already," he blurted out.

Harry stopped suddenly, causing Gil to nearly topple into him. "What did ye say?" He said slowly, turning his face to the other boy.

Gil pursed his lips and stared at the young pirate. He wasn't going to repeat himself when he knew he didn't have to. So, he continued with what he had intended to say. "Go see Evie," he said flatly, placing his hands on Harry's shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. "No coming up with a plan… Just go." He let his arms fall to his sides. "Otherwise, you'll never do it."

If there was anything Harry hated when it came to Gil, it was those times when he was right. Not the times when he was unintentionally right, but those times when he was genuinely right. Although Gil never had a smug look on his face when he knew he was right, his body language said otherwise; and Harry found that extremely annoying.

"Fine! I will!" Harry turned around, growling, and stomped on forward.

"You're going the wrong way," Gil sang out, smirking. He knew exactly why Harry was still headed towards Ursula's Fish and Chip Shoppe.

"I want some chips!" Harry shouted back at him.

But sometimes, he just couldn't help himself.

* * *

The Castle -Across-the-Way wasn't real far from his own home, but it was a decent walk. It lay near Goblin Wharf on the opposite side of the bridge. Thick vines twisted their way around the stone building with a larger-than-he'd-ever-seen oak tree setting against the tower that held Evie's bedroom. It was a very climbable tree; all the way up to her window.

Thirteen-year-old Harry Hook stood a short distance from the tower, sizing it up. Tucking his new hook safely into his belt, he picked up a few pebbles that lay nearby. "Well. Here's yer chance, Harry. Ye better not screw it up."

Although it was not terribly late, it was dark enough that no one about, if anyone other than him was actually out, would notice. Even with the lantern he needed. He threw a pebble at the window above him. There was no answer right away, so he continued to toss the pebbles, occasionally missing. Still getting no answer, he decided to climb up the tree to the window.

Stuffing some pebbles into his pockets, he started to climb. It was a good thing he wasn't afraid of heights, because both the tower and the tree were much taller than any building he'd ever stood on the roof of. But then he often climbed the masts of his father ships; some of them soaring well over one hundred feet into the air. By the time he was seven, he knew how to both furl and unfurl the sails, as well as knew all the inner workings of a ship. All taught to him, not by his father, but by Mr. Smee. As his father's bo'sun, it was Mr. Smee's duty to make sure the ship – well, ships – was in working order; regardless of how unlikely it was they would ever truly sail. It was his father, however, that taught him how to navigate; read maps, use a sextant, and sword fight, among other things.

One day, he would set sail, captain his own ship, have his own crew, and sail the seven seas. On that day, he would take his princess with him. Of course, he had to actually talk to her first; _for the first time_. Considering he'd _never_ talk to her…. He sighed, stopping halfway up the tree. Why was it so hard to get up to her window and talk to her? He talked to girls all the time; Uma, Bonny, Desiree, Mal – well, at least until the incident. But then again, he was positive that Evie was nothing like any of them. _That would definitely be breath of fresh air._

"Would you just get up there and talk to her already," a voice shouted, scaring the snot out of him and nearly making him fall out of the tree.

"Gil!" Harry hissed.

"What?" He replied, an innocent look in his eyes.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Don't look all innocent with me, blondie."

Gil shrugged. "Just makin' sure ya go through with it."

The young pirate growled and started to climb again. Gil smirked. Sometimes, he just got the better of the junior Hook. And half the time he didn't even have to try. He wasn't certain what that said about either of them. Uma would just say they were both morons.

"This is gonna be interesting," he said to himself. A soft meow followed his comment. He looked down at Scarecrow, who was sitting contently beside him, swishing his tail. "You think she'll remember him? I mean it was almost eight years ago when he had that love burp." The Siamese meowed again. Gil pursed his lips, shrugging, and returned to watching Harry climbed the tree.

Harry's current concept of time was shaky at best. It wasn't reading a clock that was the issue, although he did have a problem with that, and was often happily corrected by Gil or Uma. No, the young pirate's biggest issue was figuring out approximately how much time had passed between events; such as, how many minutes had gone by since Gil nearly made him fall out of the tree. To him, it had to have been at least an hour, minimum. According to Gil, however, it had only been fifteen minutes. Gil also informed him that he had no sense of time. If he didn't actually like the blond – and wasn't currently halfway up a thousand-foot tree – he would clobber the other boy.

Getting bored waiting for Harry to make it to Evie's window, Gil decided to climb the tree himself. At least a little ways, anyway. He set his and Harry's lanterns at the base of the tree a few feet apart and then made his way up the tree, followed closely by Scarecrow. Stopping at a thick, solid branch about ten feet up, he sat down, leaned against the trunk and proceeded to wait for Harry to quit being a sissy.

* * *

In the well-lit room at the top of the first tower, a blue-haired princess of twelve sat at her vanity, adding new sequins to her jacket. Persephone, the black cat she had chosen at her sixth birthday party, sat in the window, swishing her tail. Evie paid her no mind at first, but when the cat pushed through the curtains and began meowing, the girls interest was piqued. She got up from her vanity and walked over to the window.

"What are you meowing at?" She said to the shorthaired feline.

She pushed Persephone out of the way and slowly pulled the left curtain back.

* * *

Harry finally made it to Evie's window after who-knows-how-long. He slowly scooted out onto a large branch in front of the windowsill. Looking down briefly, he could barely see the glow of the two lanterns on the ground. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to the window to tap on the glass. Just as his fingers reach the pane, the curtain came back.

* * *

Evie nearly shrieked when she saw the boy in her window. The boy, just as surprised as she, was nearly knocked out of the tree at the shock of her sudden appearance. He was stopped by a higher branch the acted as a chair's back.

Evie quickly opened the window, gasping. "Are you okay?"

Harry set back up, rubbing the back of his head, which he had managed to smack on the branch. "Aye…." He grinned. "Hi, Princess."

She smiled sweetly. "Harry Hook. What are you doing in my window?"

"I was just –" He stopped. "Hey, how da ye know my name? I never told ye."

"Well, who else would you be. You're definitely not Captain James Hook, but you still carry a hook. And you're wearing a pirate hat."

"Oh. Guess that does kinda give it away," he replied.

"Although, you don't carry your hook like your dad does."

"I could if I wanted te. I almost got Tick-Tock te bite my hand off," he said indignantly.

"Why would you want to do that?" She asked incredulously.

"Because I want… I just… I…." He paused; then folded his arms across his chest, frowning, and huffed. "Ah dinnae ken."

They had only been speaking for a few minutes and she already had him quite flustered.

"You're really cute when you're flustered," she said sweetly.

Harry felt his cheeks warm. _Of course, he'd blush. So piratey_. He tried to scowl at his princess, but was finding it impossible with that beautiful smile of hers. And his cheeks grew redder as he thought about it. Which made her smile. Which made him blush even more, and that made her smile bigger and sweeter and more beautifully. Harry was positive she was doing it on purpose just to make him blush. And so it went on for about ten minutes—give or take.

* * *

While he could neither see nor hear what was going on sixty, seventy or however high up Evie's room was, Gil was sure there was very little dialogue going on between them. More likely, they were just staring at each other. Harry had never been good at talking to girls he liked. Then again, Evie was the first – and only – girl he'd ever liked, as in like-like. He didn't have any problems talking to Uma (although she did most of the talking), or any of the other girls that were a part of the Wharf Rats. But they were all bossy and liked telling all the boys what to do. _Wait. Is that the same thing?_ And so were Harry's sisters. _So_ , Gil surmised, _Harry only had the ability to talk to girls that liked to boss him around. Weird_. But then, Harry wasn't exactly normal.

He _had_ to move this "meeting" along.

* * *

"Did you forget how to speak?" Evie asked, rather concerned with his sudden inability to articulate.

"Naw, Ah dinnae ferget how te speak," he drawled, annoyed. He felt something hit him in the back of the head. Growling, he looked behind him and towards the ground, scowling. Not that Gil could see him, or he Gil. That was beside the point.

Evie looked at him surprised, for a moment. "Is someone down there?"

"Aye…. Me mate, Gil."

"Your accent's gotten a little heavier," she observed. "I like it."

Harry's cheeks flushed. No girl had ever said that to him. Most girls just didn't care. He was at a loss for words again.

A lightbulb suddenly came on. "Oh. Ah got somethin' fer ye." He pulled a small, slender box from his jacket pocket. "This's fer ye." He handed it to her. "Ye have te open it from the end. Ah couldnae remember when yer birthday is exactly, but Ah know it's comin' up soon."

"Thank you," she said, opening the box. She peeked into the box before pulling out a bright red scarf with silver sequins that looked like tiny mirrors. "It's beautiful. I love it."

A huge smile crossed his lips as she draped the scarf over her shoulders. "Ahm glad ye like it."

And then he was caught completely off guard. Now seated on the window's ledge, not remembering exactly when he had moved to the ledge from the branch, he was much closer to the blue-haired girl than he had realized; and was just the right distance for Evie to….

His eyes were as big as saucers. His princess had just kissed him. On the cheek, but still…. He gave her a goofy grin.

She smiled and was about to say something when they both heard the singsong voice of Evil Queen. "Oh, Evie…. My little evil-in-training…."

Evie pursed her lips in annoyance. "You better go. My mother will flip-out if she sees you."

Harry 'hmphed.' "Parents." He slid off the window ledge onto the branch. "See ye around, Princess."

"Thank you, again, for the scarf. And don't take so long to come see me next time."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Princess."

* * *

As soon as his feet hit the ground, Harry whipped around to face Gil, growling. "Whad ye go an hit me wi' a rock fer?"

Gil shrugged. "Just tryin' ta get ya ta move the conversation along."

"Ah did."

"Yeah well…can't exactly hear ya all the way down here."

The pirate balled his fists, gritting his teeth. "Then how could ye have…."

Seeing the smug smile on Gil's face, Harry trailed off and growled to himself. "Ah really hate ye sometimes." He picked up his lantern and started stomping off.

Gil's smug smile continued to grow as he picked up his own lantern. It didn't take much to ruffle Harry's feathers. "And sometimes, Harry Hook… you make it way too easy."

* * *

Across the waters that separated the dark, dreary, and lowly Isle of the Lost from the bright, cheery (and a bit nauseating) United States of Auradon, just a short distance from Belle's Harbor, in a sprightly-looking castle, a boy of twelve sat in a large bay window, looking out at the derelict island in his view.

Prince Benjamin knew there were children on that island; kids his age and younger. Seriously? What did his parents think was going to happen when they put every villain and villain sidekick and whatnot, all on an island together...? Especially, when you decide to throw a magical barrier around it. Did they really think all those people were just going to keep to themselves? Sure, maybe some of them did, but come on…. He may have been twelve, but he wasn't ignorant. Or stupid. Even villains needed to be with someone sometimes. And sometimes that type of relationship resulted in a kid, possibly more. It was Eugene Fitzherbert that filled him in on said type of relationship – well, he gave him a bit more information on the subject. Ben wondered how Eugene was so well-versed on it, and while he never asked, he figured "Uncle Flynn" must have had some kind of experience with it.

Regardless of how one villain truly felt about another in a relationship, romantic or otherwise, someone was bound to be hurt, whether they realized it or not. And he knew for many of those relationships, it was the child that suffered. Ben was well-aware that family on the Isle did not hold the same weight as it did in Auradon. His home wasn't perfect. There were plenty of kids who only had one parent, whether it was their mom or dad, or just their grandparents; and it was something that had always saddened him. He wondered if the villain parents actually loved their kids. _Probably not_. While he didn't know exactly how it was on the Isle, what they had, he knew it was nothing like what he had.

Something had to change.

 _But Prince or not, what could a twelve-year-old really do?_

* * *

 **A/N:** This took a bit longer to finish than I intended. I got stuck a couple times with the Harry/Evie part. Though once the thought of using the birthday gift idea for this chapter, it all flowed fairly nicely. And as you read, I also introduced Ben in this chapter. He'll be making a few more appearances before the story returns the near-present/present time frame. The next chapter will see more Harry/Evie and definitely more Gil teasing Harry. As well as a surprise for Harry from Gil. It's a doozie. Uma should also be making her official appearance in the next chapter.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all my readers and reviewers. Especially for being patient.

Part two of "Fallen Angel" will be up sometime soon. That is if I can pull myself away from wanting to write the reunion part first. Yeah...I'll probably end up doing that anyway.

Also, according to my Dragon software, Harry has a _winter_ pirate hat. Who knew?

I hope this chapter was worth the wait. And as always, be lovely to each other.


	5. Chapter Four: Sweetbrier and Firecracker

_A/N: Finally, it's here! It only took me forever and a minute. It's the longest chapter I've written so far. I literally had to force myself to stop writing I was having so much fun writing it. I think my second wind was more of a hurricane._

 _Onward, Aoshima!_

Chapter Four: Sweetbrier and Firecrackers

Whatever wild vegetation actually existed on the Isle of the Lost – outside of the forest stretching along the eastern coastline was, as Gil had often observed, dead; the massive amounts of rain they received, notwithstanding. Despite the virtual non-existence of native flora across most of the island, there was one plant, a flower, that grew abundantly; and rather appropriately he felt, around the Castle-Across-the-Way. _Sweetbrier_. That's what they were.

He had picked a flower from a nearby bush and, almost immediately forgetting the flower stem sported bristles and recurved prickles, stuck the stem in his mouth so he could climb the tree without crushing the rose in the process. Now Harry Hook was sporting tiny scratches on his lips. But no matter, he knew his princess would take care of it. He smiled, staring at the soft pink rose, sitting in his spot in the tree, waiting for Evie.

Lifting the flower to his nose, the sweet apple scent from the leaves permeated his senses. It reminded him of her; his princess; his love. It also reminded him that he had something special for her. He wanted to make it official. He was going to ask Evie to be his girlfriend and he was going to give her a special ring to prove how serious he was. Well, eventually, he would get a ring. Right now, he had something else just as special.

He began humming an old sea shanty his father had taught him – or maybe it was his mother – while he waited. It was a short sea shanty…. _Now there's a tongue twister_ , he thought. _Short sea shanty. Short sea shanty. Short sea shanty. Short she santy_. He frowned. Even in his head he messed it up. Sighing, he leaned back in the tree, held the flower to his nose, and began singing a lullaby his mother had sung to him many times when he was small.

"I like your song," a sweet, familiar voice said as he finished singing.

He blushed, not noticing that his princess had finally opened her window. "Oh, uhm… Thanks. Me maw used tae sing it tae me."

"What happened to her?" Evie asked.

Harry's expression fell. "She had tae leave."

She looked at him confused. "Why?"

He shrugged.

Evie pursed her lips. She could see the sadness in his eyes, even though the boy was clearly trying to hide it. "Do you miss her?"

The young pirate smiled softly. "Aye…. My da was so much happier when she was here."

"I'm sorry she had to leave," Evie said softly.

Harry gave her a soft smile. "She's out there somewhere. An when Ah get outta here, Ahm goin' tae find her."

He suddenly scowled, causing Evie to stifle a laugh. It had become Harry's signature trademark to turn his smile into a scowl when he felt he was becoming _too_ soft. Which happened often around the blue-haired girl.

"What're ye laughin' at?"

Evie smiled sweetly. "You."

He grimaced briefly, laying the sweetbrier on the window ledge, and reaching into his pocket "Ah have somethin' fer ye."

"Really? Another gift?"

He paused and looked up at her. "What do ye mean 'another gift?'"

"You gave me the scarf, remember?"

"That was a long time ago." He smiled. "This's more special. Cos, Ah also wan' tae ask ye somethin'."

She settled in the window seat, smiling at him, effectively making him nervous. He slipped a long, rectangular box out of his pocket. Evie watched him patiently. She could see his nerves were getting to him, but for exactly what, she wasn't sure. Whatever it was he wanted to ask her may have been it and if he was so nervous because of that, she definitely had an inkling of what it might be.

Harry took a deep breath. His heart was pounding, and his hands were shaking. _What if she says no? What if she doesn't like the gift? Shut up, Harry. Stop thinking like that._

He took another deep breath, almost forgetting to let it out. "I, um…" He sputtered. "This is fer ye." He handed her the box and as she opened it; he picked up the sweetbrier he had laid on the ledge.

"Oh, Harry, it's beautiful," she exclaimed softly. Inside the box was a silver bracelet with hook and apple pendants. When she looked up, he was holding the flower with the apple scented leaves. "Is that sweetbrier?"

"I'd like fer ye tae be my girlfriend."

She smiled, taking the flower, and kissing him on the cheek. "Of course, I'll be your girlfriend."

Harry smiled and blushed simultaneously.

"So, why did you pick the sweetbrier?" She asked.

"Because it represents us. It's what we are together," he replied. "Yer the flowers, I'm the thorns."

"Then who do the leaves represent?"

"Um… Rattail and Persephone?"

She laughed. "I guess that makes sense."

As Harry opened his mouth to speak, the Evil Queen's voice rang out in her usual singsong tone. "Oh, Evie…. My little evil in training."

The pirate groaned. "Again?"

"Come back later tonight," she said, giving him another kiss, the one on the lips that always left him with a stupid grin on his face.

"See ye taenight," he replied and quickly made his way down the tree.

* * *

"Will you stop moping around," Uma yelled, dropping a tray of food onto the table and making the patrons jump; except for Gil and her intended target, Harry Hook. "You've been like this all day."

"That's because he's not with Evie," Gil stated, grabbing a piece of fried fish off the tray.

Uma rolled her eyes. "Get him outta here." She furrowed her brow as she walked away. "I'm about to vomit."

Harry's head was laying on the table. "Did Uma just kick me out?" He said quietly.

A small smirk crossed Gil's lips. "I believe she did."

The junior Hook let out a loud heavy sigh.

"Come on," Gil said, patting him on the back. "Let's go intimidate people." He hauled Harry to his feet and half-dragged him out the door. "The evening just can't come quick enough."

* * *

Gil dragged the pirate, who heaved a heavy sigh every five minutes and then scowled at anyone who made the mistake of staring at him, through the bazaar, stopping every so often at the various vendors.

"Ya know, you should do something special for Evie," Gil said, sifting through a hat bin, clearly searching for something.

"Ah jus' did," the pirate replied, leaning against him.

"I mean for New Year's. Tonight."

Harry grimaced. "No one here celebrates New Year's."

"I do."

"There's a shocker," the junior Hook mumbled with a roll of his eyes. "Then again, ye do celebrate Christmas."

Gil elbowed him. "Do it for her." Harry 'hmphed.' "You know… I'd be happy to help you set up something romantic for her."

"Ah can do that myself!" He frowned. "Ah dinnae need yer help tae do somethin' romantic fer _my_ bonny lass."

The blond grinned. Harry was so easy to manipulate sometimes. "Well, you better get moving. Twelve hours till midnight." He patted the pirate on the shoulders.

"Ah really hate ye sometimes."

"An' the rest of the time ye love me." Smiling, Gil patted him on the shoulder again and walked toward a vendor that had caught his eye.

"That was a horrible Scottish accent," Harry shouted after him. He sighed, grumbled and then followed him.

Gil was perusing two of the tables when Harry finally caught up to him. "Ye really like bein' difficult, _don't ye?"_

The blond turned to him, holding two strands of fairy lights, grinning. "Celebrate New Year's or not. That doesn't matter. But she does. Every New Year's Eve, Auradon sets off a fireworks display at midnight to ring in the new year."

Harry furrowed his brow. "They do?"

Gil sighed, shoving the fairy lights into the pirate's chest. "Yes. If you'd bother to stay awake long enough you'd know that. And how is it you never hear your father's starter pistol?"

The junior Hook growled. "What are these fer, anyway?"

His counterpart stared at him. "And I'm the one that's slow?" Harry frowned. "You know, sometimes you give Grumpy a run for his money." Gil sighed. "Come on…."

Harry grumbled, but followed, fairy lights in hand. "Now what are ye gettin'?"

"Look," Gil said, turning to him. "I'll get everything set up, you just get Evie out of that castle by eleven."

"Fine."

"Take the path behind the tenant buildings to the _Jolly Roger_." Harry stared at him. "You'll know what to do from there."

* * *

The next few hours passed by quickly. Although, if you asked Harry Hook they took longer than forever. The most Uma could do was hope time would pass just a little faster than it already had so the moping pirate would be out of her hair. She also made a point to complain to Gil about why he had to bring Harry back to the chip shop. The blond told her, in no uncertain terms, that if he had to listen to Harry's whining, so did she. And she was going to babysit Harry while he set up the pirate's special night with his girlfriend.

"I won't be long," Gil said, standing up. "Probably."

Uma rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Hey, we'll both be out of your hair by ten."

"And what are you planning on doing?"

"I'm gonna watch the fireworks." The sea-witch raised an eyebrow at him. "It's New Year's Eve. Bore-a-don or not, they put on an awesome fireworks display."

Uma shook her head. "Just hurry up."

"Ya know, you're welcome to join me." She stopped momentarily, then continued on. Gil shrugged, turning back to the moping pirate. "Only a few more hours."

Harry sighed heavily.

"I've known you for quite a while now, Harry," the blond began, a smirk on his face, "and I never thought I'd ever say this, but… You're pathetic."

Gil waited for a response. No one ever got away with calling Harry Hook pathetic – well, except for his sisters. But the pirate didn't move; he just sighed. The blond opened his mouth to say something about pirate countenance, but decided it probably wasn't worth it.

Shaking his head, he stood up, patting the pirate on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go set things up."

Harry sighed again. "Okay."

As he walked out, he added, "make sure you get her there by eleven."

Harry stared at the clock the next couple of hours and sighed every five minutes. That is, until Uma had had enough.

"Will you just go!" She shouted from the opposite end of the shop. She didn't need her first mate acting like a pathetic bilge rat.

She watched Harry bolt out the door. "Boys." Sighing, she went back to work. Sometimes she wondered if either of those two were worth all the aggravation they caused her. Granted, it was mostly Gil; but recently, it had been more her first mate's doing.

She looked up at the clock. Closing time was in an hour and a half. There would be nothing to do afterwards with most of the Isle residence finding good spots to watch the fireworks. As much as she hated to admit it, those Auradon fools put on a decent fireworks display.

Maybe she would catch up with Gil and watch. _Maybe_.

* * *

Gil worked fervently at the unused dock at Hook's Inlet, setting up a romantic – or at least what he understood of it – evening for Harry and Evie. By ten o'clock, everything was ready. It wasn't perfect, but he knew the two of them would appreciate it; not the Harry would ever open his mouth to say anything. He wasn't bothered by the lack of gratitude; it was the way things rolled on the Isle. Regardless, he was proud of his accomplishment, and he knew it would be worth it.

As much as he wanted to hang around and see the expressions on their faces, he had to secure his spot to see the fireworks. Because of his own excitement for the show, half the kids on the Isle would be there to watch. And he did promise Hadie and Dizzy that he would make sure they had the best spot this year.

Besides, privacy for two did not involve a third party in any way, shape or form – unless said third party happen to be a pervert; which the Isle had plenty of… Probably. However, he was not one of them. He looked over the set up once more, then headed back towards the chip shop.

* * *

Harry leaned back against the frame as he sat in the window, waiting for his beloved princess to ready herself. It made no difference to him what she wore, or if she ever put on makeup; she was beautiful no matter what.

"Ye know, ye dinnae really need all that makeup," he said softly as she approached. "Ah dinnae know why ye even put it on at all." She sat beside him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Yer right beautiful without it."

"Well, thank you, my handsome pirate," she said sweetly. "However, my mother would disagree."

He grinned at her. "What does she know?"

"Everything." She paused, smiling. "As far she's concerned."

"So what else is new." He huffed. "All the adults seem tae think that."

They stared at each other. "Are we having a staring contest?" Evie asked, a smile crossing her lips.

"Perhaps," he replied with a cheeky grin. "But Ah prefer a kissin' contest." He paused. "No comments."

She laughed. "But I have so many." Harry grumbled, a grimace appearing on his face. She stifled a giggle, stepping up next to him. "Come on, I want to see the special surprise."

 _It'll be just as much of a surprise to me as it will be to you_ , Harry thought as Evie climbed over him to the tree.

"Race you down." She gave him a sly grin and started to climb down the tree.

He thought of saying something snarky to his princess, but just smiled at her assertiveness.

"Are you coming, pirate boy?"

A grimace crossed his lips for a moment, replaced quickly by a smile and a headshake. _It was just too hard to get mad at her_.

* * *

Gil pulled himself up onto the roof of his selected building, then turned to lift Dizzy up, who was followed quickly by Hadie. He smiled as the two of them clambered to the spot where he had left some drinks and a few snacks.

"Cool. Snacks," they said delightedly in unison.

"As promised," Gil replied, sitting down next to the blue-haired boy.

"Hey, these are actually good," Hadie said, stuffing a handful of peanut butter crackers into his mouth.

"I was bound to find something that wasn't stale or moldy."

The two younger kids fell silent, munching on the snacks and occasionally giggling for no apparent reason. Gil couldn't help smiling at them. He had often wondered what it would be like to have younger siblings. Sure, his older brothers were okay, and he didn't mind being the youngest; but still… It would've been nice to have at least one younger sibling. Although, Harry often complained that younger sisters were the worst.

"Is Uma coming?" Dizzy asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

He shrugged, knowing that Dizzy, while not afraid of her, was a bit wary of her. Hadie, on the other hand, had no problem talking back to the sea-witch. Or Harry, for that matter. Neither of them would ever admit it, but Gil knew his two friends respected the boy for his _assertive_ attitude. "She might."

"I'll be shocked if she does," Hadie commented, stuffing another cracker in his mouth.

Gil gave him a soft grin, then looked back out towards Auradon, his grin faltering. "Yeah, me, too."

* * *

"So," Evie began as she and Harry wove their way through the back alleys, "where, exactly, are you taking me?"

"Ye'll see." _And apparently so will I_. "Were almost there." He led her down a long pathway past Ursula's Fish and Chip Shoppe to the dock where his father's ships were anchored.

Evie gasped at the sight; even Harry was taken aback at Gil's handiwork. Fairy lights lined the dock down to the water. Paper lanterns hung from the few nearby trees and overhangs from Capt. Hook's shop. "It's beautiful," she said, words that were rarely spoken on the Isle.

They followed the lights to the end of the dock were a blanket and basket sat. Harry smiled to himself as they sat down. _Ye did good, Gilly_ , the pirate thought.

Attached to the top of the basket was a folded piece of paper. He pulled the paper off, unfolded it and began to read to himself. _'Don't forget. Just before midnight, take Evie up to the crow's nest of the Lost Revenge. It'll be your best view for the fireworks show. It will seem far away, but you'll still feel like you can touch them. – Gil'_

Harry was one of a few that could decipher Gil's sometimes chicken scratch for writing, but a small smile crossed his lips nonetheless. "Ye always manage tae sound a bit poetic."

"What is it?" Evie asked.

"Jist a little reminder," he answered, sneaking a quick kiss.

She raised an eyebrow. "Reminder?"

"Aye."

"For what?"

"Ye'll see."

"You really like saying that, don't you?"

He grinned. "Aye."

As he went in for another kiss, she pressed her finger against his lips. "Open the basket."

"Aye, Princess." Giving her a mock salute, and after her hitting him in the arm, he opened the basket and looked inside. "Ye've outdone yerself, Gilly."

Evie raised an eyebrow.

"As much as Ah'd like tae take the credit fer all of this," Harry began, "this was all Gil's doin'."

Giving credit where credit was due was as common on the Isle as fresh vegetables, but Gil had worked far too hard on something for Harry that he didn't have to do. The young pirate had learned from his father – who possibly learned from Harry's mother – to respect those who did well for you without any thought of compensation. _And_ Gil was his friend.

"Gil, huh?" Evie replied with a soft smile.

"Aye. Ah owe 'im big time."

Harry laid out the snacks that had been packed for the two of them, taking one of the peanut butter crackers and shoving it into his mouth. Evie giggled softly. "What?" He said, crumbs falling from his bottom lip.

"You're adorable," she said with that irresistible sweet smile of hers, the one that always put him at a loss for words.

He licked his lips and smiled, no verbal response forming in his brain. While her smile could make him speechless, there was one thing that could put him into a catatonic state. And he never knew when it would come. _Oh, but she knew_. It would come soon enough, and he had no problem waiting for it. She moved closer to him, shoving a cracker into his mouth, smiling. Then he reciprocated, laughing as she hit him in the arm.

"Fair play, Princess," he sang.

"Fair play? Didn't know that happened on the Isle," she replied sweetly.

"It doesn't."

"Unless, you're getting revenge." She poked him in the chest, smirking.

"Exactly."

They sat in silence, enjoying each other's company until hearing Capt. Hook exclaim, "ten minutes till midnight" and fire his starter pistol.

Harry grinned. "Come on." He said, standing to his feet, pulling Evie up with him.

"Now where are we going?" He looked up at the crow's nest of the _Lost Revenge_. She followed his gaze. "Up there?"

"Aye, Princess. Best place tae see the show."

"If you say so."

Flashing the mischievous Hook smile, he led her onto the ship and up to the crow's nest. He sat down, leaning against the mast, Evie sitting down in front of him and leaning back against him. She snuggled into him as he wrapped his arms around her. The Grand New Year's Eve Fireworks Show was about to begin.

* * *

The shot from the starter pistol was heard around most of the island and was for sure heard by Gil and the two younger kids situated on the roof of the wisely chosen tenant building. In fact, the massive mainmast of the _Lost_ _Revenge_ could be seen from that very spot.

The trio heard a thunk and then saw a pirate hat pop up over the edge of the building. Gil grinned. "Uma. You actually decided to come."

Uma climbed up onto the roof and sat down next to the blond. "Yeah, well… I had nothing better to do."

The sea-witch was not one to admit the true reason she decided to do something _to anyone_ if it dealt with anything sentimental or any equivalent. She wanted to join Gil in watching the show; she didn't want to spend the evening alone. And she knew that Gil knew. However, she also knew that Gil wouldn't say a word about it, whether she threatened him or not.

They sat in silence while Hadie and Dizzy occasionally glanced at them, whispered to each other and then giggled. Uma rolled her eyes while Gil shook his head. He knew exactly what they were whispering and giggling about, and he was sure that Uma was well-aware, too. But he really didn't care about their antics. Hadie and Dizzy were little kids. Although, it did appear to annoy Uma just a bit and both knew that if she yelled at them to stop, it would only encourage Hadie to continue… And much louder.

She let out a growl, then a sigh.

Looking straight ahead, Gil said, "you know, I'm glad you decided to come."

"Yeah… Me, too," she mumbled under her breath.

Gil grinned, putting his hand behind his ear. "What was that?"

She gave him a dangerous look. He merely grinned. _He got her_ , and she knew it.

As the fireworks display began, Gil spoke again. "I mean it, Uma. I'm really glad you came."

* * *

At the docks of Belle's Harbor, two teenage boys climbed into a speedboat, putting themselves directly beneath the fireworks. _The perfect spot_.

"Ben. Chad. You two be careful," Queen Belle shouted at them.

"We will, Mom, don't worry," Ben called back.

She folded her arms across her chest, giving them a stern look. They returned her look with impish grins.

"We promise, we _will_ be careful," Chad chimed.

Belle believed they would be careful, but they were still teenage boys and she knew that they were up to something. She could see the wheels turning in Chad's head. Sighing, she turned and headed back towards the castle. When she was out of sight, the boys knelt down in the boat, Chad opening the satchel he had thrown in hours earlier.

"You do realize we're going to get hit with the sparks from the aerials, right?" Ben said.

"Yeah, I know," Chad replied. "It's the best part. Well, second-best part." He pulled out a bag from the satchel and dumped out a bundle of bottle rockets.

"How many of those it you get?" Ben asked in awe.

Chad shrugged. "I don't know. Thirty maybe. I just grabbed a bunch of 'em."

Auradon's crown prince eyed him suspiciously. "You didn't steal these, did you?"

Chad stared at the bottle rockets. "Uhh…" Then slowly turned his gaze to his best friend. "No…?"

"That doesn't sound very convincing."

The other boy groaned, his curly chestnut locks hanging in his face. "Oh, come on, Ben, they're not gonna be missed."

Ben wasn't too keen on a lot of Chad's antics. Stealing was _not_ something the future King liked to let slide and he probably shouldn't let the other boy get away with it. But Chad was his best friend and the brother he never had. Ben had lied many times – too many – for Chad, though Chad lied far more often, to keep him out of trouble. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that Chad belonged on the Isle of the Lost. _Stealing, lying, probably cheating, and who knows what else_. He shook the thought from his mind as he looked out across the harbor towards the magically-domed island. Chad paid him no mind as he laid the bottle rockets on one of the seats.

"You know, Chad, sometimes I think you'd fit right in on the Isle." It was said facetiously, mainly to see if the other teen was paying any attention.

Chad scoffed. "Yeah, right. They couldn't handle me." Ben rolled his eyes at Chad's somewhat narcissistic comment. "What's with you and the Isle, anyway?" He continued, pulling a lighter out of his pants pocket.

"You didn't steal that, too, did you?" The question was rhetorical and sarcastic, and Chad readily ignored it just as Ben figured he would.

He picked up a rocket and handed it to Ben. "You ready for this?"

Ben grabbed the firework from him. "Of course." He looked around the boat. "Where are the bottles?"

Chad laughed. "Bottles? What do we need bottles for?" Ben stared at him. "Just because they're called 'bottle rockets' doesn't mean you need a bottle to set them off." He picked one up, holding it at the end of the splint. "Just hold it." Ben grimaced. "Oh, come on. They're not regular skyrockets. Don't be a wuss."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Good boy," Chad replied, patting his best friend on the back. "Don't drop it – into the boat, at least – or hold onto it too tightly." He paused. "Because that'll make you drop it."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Just trust me."

Ben frowned. "You know, whenever you say that, it really scares me."

Chad grinned at him, striking the lighter. "As soon as I light it, hold it loosely above your head."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Ben gave him a hard stare. "Exactly how often have you done this?"

"Uhh…. You remember a few months ago when everyone kept complaining about hearing popping and whistling sounds outside their dorms?"

The crown prince looked at him, incredulously. "That was you – of course it was you." Chad was grinning like an idiot. "Please, don't tell me you were the one that set off the fireworks during R.O.A.R. practice last month."

"Okay, I won't."

"Chad! Those were m80s!"

"Only a few of them. The rest were black cats. I made sure not to hit anyone." Ben groaned. "Hey, at least, I didn't set them off in the science lab."

Ben's eyes grew wide. "You were planning on setting them off in the –"

"Ten seconds to midnight," Chad shouted, readying to light his rocket. "Pay attention, Ben." He lit the fuse and held the rocket high. "Five. Four. Three. Two. One…." Letting go of the splint, the rocket sailed whistling into the cool night air, popping in time with the first wave of aerials.

* * *

On the rooftop of a tenant building, Gil stood up, pulling a box of matches and a strip of firecrackers out of his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Uma asked.

Gil didn't respond, only struck a match. "Five, four…." He lit the fuse. "Three, two, one!" He threw them into the air, listening to them pop in tandem with the aerial display from Auradon.

"Happy new year!" Gil and the two younger kids shouted.

"Where did you get those?" The sea-witch queried.

Gil grinned. "Yen Sid."

* * *

They heard Capt. Hook and Mr. Smee begin the countdown. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six…."

"This is perfect," Evie said.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Hook fired his starter pistol again, signaling the new year's arrival.

As the fireworks display began, Harry placed his hand on Evie's cheek, turning her face towards his and kissed her. "Happy new year, Princess."

"Happy new year, pirate boy," she replied, snuggling into him.

"I love ye, Princess," he said softly. "More than ye'll ever know."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

* * *

Chad quickly lit Ben's rocket. "Come on, Benny boy!"

The future King nearly held on to it too long. "Gah!"

Chad started laughing, handing him another one. "You'll get the hang of it." He tossed him the lighter. "Here, I got another one."

"You really worry me sometimes," Ben said.

The other boy just shook his head and set off another rocket into the sky.

Ben grimaced and set off his. He could barely hear the whistling and popping of their bottle rockets with all the booming noise from the aerials. A few sparks landed on their faces. He shook off the sting, reaching for another rocket; Chad didn't seem bothered at all by the falling sparks; he was far too involved with his own fireworks.

As Ben picked the rocket up, Chad fished through his jacket pocket, retrieving a firecracker. Noticing that Ben was about to light the fuse of his rocket, he quickly lit the firecracker and threw it into the air. A loud boom echoed across the harbor.

"Chad, that was an m80!"

Chad grinned, laughing in his throat. "Yeah, it was."

Ben glared at him angrily. "Where'd you steal those?"

"I didn't steal them," the Prince of Charmington said as he lit and threw another into the air. "I made them."

"You made them?"

"Yes," Chad answered, turning to look at Ben. "And you might wanna let go of that splint."

"Huh?" Ben looked back at his rocket; the spark was about to hit the powder. The future King shrieked and dropped the rocket into the boat.

"Don't drop it in the boat," Chad, who had they not been on a boat would have been laughing hysterically at his best friend, shouted. He quickly picked it up and threw into the air.

They stared at each other; a mischievous grin on Chad's face and a look of annoyance on Ben's. Chad's grin turned into a broad smile, making Ben smile and they quickly burst into laughter.

"Come on, man," Chad said, "we've got twenty-six more rockets to set off." He pulled two more m80s out of his pocket. "And a couple of these."

Ben shook his head and grabbed another rocket, this time not allowing himself to get distracted. Chad threw another m80. "You like those things just a little too much, Chaddy."

"Yeah, well… I couldn't get away with using a stick of dynamite."

"Why would you want to throw a stick of dynamite?" Ben said, a light chuckle escaping his throat.

"I wouldn't," Chad replied, throwing the last m80 into the air. "I just said I couldn't get away with it."

"Can't really argue with that."

Chad grinned, pulling one more m80 from his jacket pocket and flashing it in front of Ben.

Ben sighed. "Chad…."

"Last one, I swear."

The crown prince rolled his eyes and lit the fuse of another rocket as Chad threw the actual, Ben hoped, last m80 into the air. Somehow, that one sounded a lot louder than the previous four.

They continued to set off the remainder of the bottle rockets. For the moment, Ben allowed his concern for the kids of the Isle of the Lost to slip to the back of his mind, and enjoyed the festivities with his best friend, the trouble-making – though no one would really believe it – Chad Charming.

 **heartofauradon**

 _A/N: I got a bit more into the Ben/Chad friendship thing at the end than I intended to, but I had so much fun writing it. I was a bit disappointed with how Chad was turned into more of an airhead in the second film. I felt that he was a bit smarter than he seemed. It was also like he was there more for comic relief (not that I didn't think it wasn't funny. I did like the whole 3D printer bit). Chad has a lot of untapped potential. I also see him as a big time trouble-maker that rarely gets caught, which in turn makes him something of a jerk; both being covers for underlying issues that he's not even aware of._

 _Okay, enough of that for now. If I think too much about it I'll start applying the Skillet songs "Sometimes" and "It's Not Me, It's You" to him. Anyway, Chad will play a large part later on in this story as well as my hopefully-soon-to-be story "Silver Tide." I plan to write at least two more chapters before I get to the meat of this story (technically, one of those chapters is already written). I hope you enjoyed this chapter._

 _Until next time..._

 _And remember, Be lovely to each other._


	6. Chapter Five: Family

_Man, this only took forever and a minute to complete. Blargh!_

 _Anyway… here's the next chapter. The first half is still in the past, the second half comes back to the present. The second half is deliberately a muddled, reflecting Harry's mindset. His thoughts interrupt the narration, making the flow a bit awkward in spots. Deliberately._

 _Onwards, Aoshima!_

Chapter 5: Family

"Ahm surprised she hasn't asked ye about the necklace," he said, an open drawing pad balanced on his knee, as they sat under the tree by the lagoon, away from prying eyes.

"If she does, I'll just tell her it was a gift from my sixth birthday that I kept put away." Evie smiled at him.

"Ah. Bring up the banishment." Harry returned her smile with his own.

She leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder. "She'd just growl."

For once, the Isle – or at least that particular part of the Isle – was engulfed in a warm breeze. "It's so nice out here," she said after a short silence.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Nice?"

"Well, it's not horrible." She looked up at him. He was grinning like an idiot. "Oh, shut up. Just because I'm a villain, doesn't mean I can't say somethings nice."

"Or have anything nice," he said, noticing her playing with the pendant.

"Exactly."

Harry smiled, leaning in for a kiss – which was quickly thwarted by a plume of fluffy, light blue hair. "Hadie…" the pirate said through his teeth.

The boy, son of Hades, looked back and forth between the two teenagers, smiling impishly. Evie smiled back.

"Hi, Hadie," Evie greeted.

"Hello," he replied.

"What're ye doin' here, Hadie?" Harry continued, still speaking through his teeth.

"I live here," the boy answered.

Harry grimaced. "Not on the Isle, what are ye doin' right here in this spot?"

Hadie shrugged. "You were here, so I decided to join."

Evie stifled a laugh. "Dinnae ye encourage him," Harry growled.

She cleared her throat, putting on a stoic expression. "I'm sorry." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Come on," Hadie chimed. "I'm adorable."

"Yer no more adorable than a gutted fish," the pirate replied flatly, tapping his hook on the boy's forehead.

"Yer just jealous." The boy grinned.

Harry scowled, pulling his hook away. "Ah am not jealous… Of anything."

"Well, then." Hadie's grin widened. "Yer just…." He trailed off. "Hey. What happened to your hook?"

"Whada ye mean? Ah got my hook right –" Harry stopped abruptly. His hook was _not_ in his hand.

Hadie gently swung the hook in front of him. "Here."

The pirate scowled a second time and lunged for him, but the son of Hades rolled out of the way, sprung to his feet and took off in a run, shouting over his shoulder. "Lookee, lookee, I got Harry's hooky."

"Why you little –" He turned to Evie. "Got a brat tae catch." He flashed the classic Hook smile, gave her a quick kiss on the lips and ran off after Hadie.

Evie laughed, leaning back against the tree, watching her pirate chase the small ten-year-old back towards the chip shop and listening to Harry shout obscenities that she only half understood. _Pirates_.

* * *

Gil insisted that Uma would like him. Harry got along with him – well, sorta – so, she would, too. Possibly. Hopefully. Hadie was a good – bad – kid. Gil wasn't entirely sure which word he should use. The Isle of the Lost didn't always make it clear, er, the people didn't always make it clear. Now he was confusing himself.

"Gil," Uma shouted, breaking the blond from his thoughts.

"I know he's only ten," he said, fairly certain they were still talking about Hadie, "but trust me, you are gonna like him."

The sea witch rolled her eyes. "Fine. This better not be a waste of my time."

He was about to respond when the blue-haired boy came running into the shop, wielding Harry's hook. Uma raised an eyebrow. Gil grinned at her; she seemed to be impressed.

"Ha! You couldn't even get Tick-Tock to bite yer hand off," the boy sang, Harry right on his heels. He climbed over the counter, sticking his tongue out at the scowling pirate.

Harry growled. "Listen, you little –"

"Little what?" Hadie cut him off. "Whatcha gonna do? Hook me? Ooo… Big man…. Gonna hook a little kid." Harry growled as the boy continued to taunt him – just like Gil had told him to. "Oh,wait. Ya can't. Cuz I got yer hook."

Harry lunged for him, but the boy ducked and ran around the counter into the dining area, zigzagging around tables with Harry right behind him.

"I like this kid," Uma said, flashing a genuine smile.

"I knew you would," Gil replied happily.

Hadie zipped past them.

"Get back here with my hook, ye little brat," Harry seethed as he chased the boy out the door.

Hadie shouted back in a singsong voice, "come and get it, Cabin Boy."

Gil's smile broadened. "Harry likes him, too."

{Present Time}

Harry's eyes shot open as if being thrust out of a trance. Shaggy, dark brown locks covered his eyes. _He really needed a haircut._ The musty smell of wet, rotting wood permeated his senses. A fine mist had been falling all day long; a mist that could turn into snow at any moment. It was cold, far colder than it should have been. His tired eyes gazed out over the water towards Auradon. Every happy memory seemed so far away now. He shivered. It would be warmer inside the ship, the only place that hadn't rotted away. He really should go in, instead of sitting out on this rock in the chilled air. But he couldn't move. He was too tired, exhausted, really. He wanted to curl up in his bed and sleep.

A loud groan echoed through the air around him. The _Lost Revenge_ was on its last leg. He was surprised the mizzen mast was still standing. The foremast had long since fallen and the mainmast he had cut down himself in a delirious fervor, though it hadn't been without purpose. It had been for his little sister.

He let out a heavy sigh, his warm breath turning to a white cloud as it hit the air. It was getting colder. The cold air nipped at his exposed skin. Turning his gaze to the west, watching the sun sink below the surface of the water, his mind wandered back to his beloved Evie. The day she left nearly broke him. To be honest, he really couldn't remember that day. It was as if his mind refused to acknowledge it happened. His memory of it was hazy at best. All that was clear in his mind was the sight of the limousine crossing the bridge to Auradon as he stood in the crow's nest of one of his father's ships. He knew it wasn't her choice. She didn't have one. _But it still hurt_. He refused to show the pain it caused him; it would make him look weak. And that was something he couldn't risk. _Not_ on the Isle, _not_ being who he was.

Now, however, as he sat silently atop the crag, it didn't matter. There was no strength or weakness here. There was nothingness.

He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, pulling his knees up. His eyelids began to droop.

His little sister had done her best to console him, standing in the crow's nest with him; but being a Hook, it was easier to pretend everything was fine rather than deal with his emotions. It also caused him to block the memory.

Harry slowly stood to his feet, futilely shaking the settling mist from his hair. He slipped off the rock, stepping gently along the rocky path of the crag and finally onto the broken concrete of the bridge that once connected the Isle to Auradon. The bridge itself was useless now. The end of it looked as if it had been melted into a blob of cracked amber. _So strange_. He followed the broken path back to the ship, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. The walk took a bit longer than it normally would have. _He was so tired_. After some time – he had long lost his sense of it – he finally reached the _Lost Revenge._ What was left of the mainmast (which was most of it) still lay across the water next to the tunnel. He crossed cautiously onto the ship, making haste to the lower deck, and to his quarters.

His cabin was neat for the first time in ages. There was little left inside. Much of it he had used for kindling to keep himself warm out on the main deck. The old drum became so full of ash, that the simplest way to empty it was to knock it over near the gangplank, dumping it into the murky water, seemingly making it murkier. But he didn't care about the water; not anymore. He stood in the doorway, looking around the room, his eyes settling on his bed. All the blankets made it look so warm and inviting. He quickly found himself moving towards it. As he passed the large mirror on the wardrobe door that now leaned against the wall, he glanced over. Stopping, he stared at his reflection, the long scar on the left side of his face staring back at him. He ran his fingers along the raised discoloration. It looked like one of those satellite images of a river that Carlos had shown him when he and the Wharf Rats had made it to Auradon. Fortunately, it wasn't the same color. Looking back now on how he got the scar, it was quite embarrassing. Of course, it hadn't been then and his opponent (as he preferred to use) had received his own, though not by this pirate.

He sighed and continued to his bed; his warm, cozy bed. Harry nearly threw himself onto it, quickly pulling the covers over himself and snuggling deeply into them. Although part of him didn't want to fall asleep, fearing he would never wake up, the pull of slumber had its tight grip on him. His eyelids drooped closed and he curled up into the welcoming, comforting arms of peaceful repose.

xXx

I will hopefully have the next chapter up by the weekend. It's already written. I just need to get it typed up and edited. Yes, I am one of those weirdoes that still writes out my stories on paper first.

I hope you enjoyed this long-awaited (at least, I hope you were waiting for it in some capacity) update.

And as always, be lovely to each other.


	7. Chapter Six: You Don't Belong

_This chapter is an excerpt from the prelude to my upcoming story "Silver Tide." The excerpt itself is incomplete and still a bit rough, but the point is to explain where Harry's scar came from. "Silver Tide"- the adventure mentioned in the prologue of this story – takes place between this chapter and the next._

Chapter 6: You Don't Belong

It had not gone the way Ben had hoped. His own people in Auradon were no less villainess than those on the Isle and it was unfortunately being made obvious by the way some of the newest VK's were being treated; much worse than the first four (although Harry and Gil – Harry, especially – were receiving the brunt of the ill-treatment) and they had no qualms about fighting back; they were not going to be pushed around. The tourney field had become the site of an escalating confrontation between Harry and Gil and four other Auradon students, led by – surprise – Chad Charming, who, in all likelihood, was also the instigator. He had finally gotten under Harry's skin. Ben was unsure of how it all started, but it was more than likely (again) that Chad managed to say something incredibly stupid (and possibly intentionally) to Harry or Gil. Or both.

Unlike their predecessors, Harry, and Gil had nothing to lose. They were not at Auradon Prep to obtain anything for their parents. Or to even try and be good for that matter. Despite their previous encounter, Ben had made the decision to offer them a chance to get off the Isle and was quite surprised they took him up on it. He was especially surprised at Gil's acceptance with him fully aware of their fathers' history. As the standing king, Ben had made it a point to make it clear to his parents that Gil had no part in their history with Gaston (this, much to Ben's delight, turned out to be a nonissue). He had even gone so far as to warn (even threaten to a point) both staff and student body to treat the new VK's with dignity and respect or there would be dire consequences. _However, the warning seemed to have fallen on deaf ears._

* * *

Despite their two-man deficit, Harry and Gil appeared to have the edge. That is until _…._

A four-on-two fight was nothing new for Harry Hook, nor did such shortage in manpower hamper Gil's determination to win. Just as it always was. Nor did either of them ever cheat in a fight. They never needed to. Most of the time, it was over before either of them had the opportunity to resort to cheating. And this current fracas was no different. Only…neither he nor Gil had quite figured out how they _could_ cheat. Not that they really needed to. But the fight was going on far too long for their taste. All six of them were bruised and a little bloody and Harry was enjoying the fact that he had given Prince Charming Junior, a bloody nose.

Chad, on the other hand, was rather incensed that yet another Isle rat had gotten the better of him, but this was still going to end in victory for him. The table was about to turn in his favor. He had a secret weapon; one he had hidden in plain sight. He was just waiting for the opportunity to use it.

* * *

Harry's sole focus was on Chad, while Gil had Marcus and Lee in his sights. None noticed the fourth teenager, Derek, disappear from the fight, grab the tourney stick that lay at the edge of the field, and slip behind the two VK's.

The pirate grinned at Chad, then rushed Lee, knocking him to the ground and then quickly returned his focus to the pompous prince. A sudden howl of pain from Gil pulled his attention away from the not-so-charming Auradonian, giving Chad the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Just as Harry turned to Gil, the boy with the tourney stick, whatever his name was, brought the stick down – with full force – onto the side of Gil's knee for a second time. He cried out in pain again, falling to the ground.

"Gil!"

Chad grinned almost menacingly. They didn't belong here, they didn't belong anywhere. His grin widened; now he held Harry "son of the most villainous pirate to ever exist" Hook's most prized possession.

"Lookee, lookee, Hooky," Chad said mockingly, bringing Harry's attention back to him. He waved the shiny silver hook in front of the pirate, the same hook that was supposed to be in Fairy Godmother's office. Despite his initial objections to giving it up – at least, for the time being – he chose to respect Fairy Godmother's wishes and handed over his hook.

"How did ye –" Harry began, but was quickly cut off by Chad, who clearly enjoyed hearing himself talk.

"Get your hook?" Chad finished with the obnoxious, and slightly sinister, smile on his face.

Harry growled again and charged him.

* * *

Hadie and Dizzy ran down the walkways, heading to the courtyard. They were meeting Jane and Doug and a few other students to discuss the upcoming orientation for Auradon Prep's new junior high students, and they were running late. Hadie had something to give Gil and he and Dizzy had spent far too much time searching for the blond. Eventually, Hadie gave up as Dizzy informed him that they needed to get to the courtyard. He could give Gil whatever it was he had for him later.

Now they were rushing to get to the meeting on time. "Let's cut through the tourney field," Hadie said. "Gil might be there."

Dizzy groaned. "You do know we'll be going out of the way for that."

"I know," the boy replied.

She growled at him. Boys were so infuriating sometimes.

As they reach the tourney field, Hadie suddenly stopped, causing Dizzy to run right into him, nearly knocking both of them down.

"Why did you stop?"

He pointed towards the bleachers. "Gil and Harry are in a fight. Look."

"What? With who?" Dizzy asked, stepping around him.

"Chad and some other guys from the tourney team."

Just as he answered, one of the teenagers slammed the tourney stick onto Gil's knee.

Dizzy gasped. "Gil."

The two preteens stood silently, watching, unable to move as the other teen hit Gil's knee again. At the same moment as Harry, Hadie shouted the blond's name.

"I'm going to find Fairy Godmother," Dizzy said, rushing off.

Although unaware of what was to come, in the end, Hadie would be grateful that Dizzy left when she had, saving her from seeing what her cousin, whom she had grown close to, was about to do to the young pirate who had become a big brother to both of them.

* * *

On their way to the courtyard to meet with some younger students (and running late), Jane and Doug passed by the tourney field, completely unaware of the altercation taking place in front of the bleachers; unaware, until they heard a loud, pain-riddled cry, a cry that sent them running for the field.

They reached the front of the bleachers just as Derek took a second swing with a tourney stick to the side of Gil's right knee. A sickening crack echoed through the air along with a near bloodcurdling scream. They watched in horror as Gil dropped to the ground, grabbing his knee, blood seeping between his fingers. What they had just witnessed was horrific, but what happened next would haunt them for years to come.

Doug glanced to his left where he spotted two of the younger students. "Oh, no."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the younger girl, Jay and Ben had witnessed the beginning of the confrontation and had already sought out Fairy Godmother. They were on their way back to the field, along with Coach Jenkins and Chad's parents, when a loud, pain-filled cry echoed around them, stopping them dead in their tracks. A stomach-churning crack filled the air; the group began running again – faster.

Jay had initially intended to join the skirmish between the two groups, of course, fighting alongside Harry and Gil; but Ben had convinced him otherwise. The young king had also called for Chad's parents to come see their son (having arrived earlier that morning). Cruel as it could be viewed as, getting his parents was the ideal course of action; they needed to witness their son's aberrant behavior firsthand.

Dizzy ran into them just before they reached the field, worry and fear in her eyes. "Fairy Godmother. Gil…."

"We know, dear," she said before the girl could finish.

Jay and Ben ran ahead of the group, both worried over how much further things were going to escalate and all of them feared the worst.

* * *

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. _For Gil and Harry_. The pain in Gil's leg was blinding, and he was on the verge of passing out. Derek was now moving towards Harry. He tried to warn the junior Hook, but Derek was moving too quickly for the warning to do any good. As Harry began his charge on Chad, Derek nailed him in the back of the knee with the tourney stick. Harry grunted, staggering forward, his gaze pulled towards the ground. Regaining his composure quickly, he looked back up at Chad in horror as the pharisaic prince brought his own hook down on him. He had no time to react, Chad's motion was too swift. The sharp point of the hook tore into the left side of his face, slicing him from his hairline to his jawline.

* * *

Hadie stood stone-still in horror. He knew Chad Charming wasn't the best person in the world and that he had a beef with Harry for some reason; but Hadie never thought the Prince of Charmington would ever resort to something so horrible. Finally finding his feet, the boy rushed towards the gruesome scene.

* * *

Harry Hook had never truly hated anyone. He either liked you, didn't like you, or just didn't give a sea dog's dungbie; but he never really hated anyone. Until he set foot in Auradon. And even then, it took some time for he even considered the idea of hating someone. He was even able to ignore the self-righteous and obnoxious Chad Charming. But now… Hatred was all he had for the son of a sea biscuit.

His knees buckled underneath him as he staggered backward, covering his wound with his hand and howling in pain. It was a pain unlike any he had ever felt before; his face felt like it was on fire. _And his eye…. Begad, his eye…._ He looked up at Chad with every bit of malice and hate that he could muster. Blood flowed over his hand, between his fingers, and down his cheek, dripping off his chin onto his clothes and pooling on the ground. The vilest things he could say to the Prince of Charmington flooded his mind, but those thoughts were quickly pushed away as he felt hands gently being laid on the shoulder.

"Let's get you to the infirmary," Ben said softly as Jay ran over to Gil, joining Hadie.

Harry growled. He wasn't going to leave without giving Chad Charming something to wallow in, regardless of the ballast pig understood it. Still on his knees he glared up at Chad and shouted angrily, "ye filthy, bilge-sucking gobshyte." His voice was trembling as he choked back tears. "I'll fly yer bloody head as my banner!"

Ben gently pulled Harry to his feet. As he was led over to Jay and Gil, he forced the young king to allow him to look at Chad one last time.

"Damn ye tae depths," the Lost pirate howled, pain and agony… _and hate_ in his voice.

* * *

Chad Charming stared, trying to comprehend what he had just done. His mind was reeling. He may not have understood a lot of what Harry ever said, but those final words to him were very, very clear. He watched unmoving, as Ben led Harry off the field, unaware of the horrified looks on the faces of Fairy Godmother, Dizzy, and his own mother. Nor did he hear the voice of his father angrily shouting his name. Chad remained still, staring out seemingly into oblivion.

Hadie walked over to him. Looking up at the older boy, he said, "Chad?"

Dizzy looked from her cousin to the ground, where, having slipped from his hand onto the grassy fields next to his right foot, the bloody silver hook lay.

* * *

Drops of blood followed Harry as Ben tried to get him to the school's infirmary as quickly as possible, but the pirate was struggling. He was losing blood fast and was stumbling at almost every step. Despite Gil's knee injury, he and Jay were able to keep a decent pace. Harry was exhausted. His face felt like it was sliding off his skull. The world around him was growing darker by the second. He couldn't keep going, he had to stop. The pain was unbearable. It felt as if someone was trying to dig his eyeball out of its socket. He wanted to scream, but his voice eluded him.

And then with his legs finally giving out, he fell to the ground, nearly pulling Ben down with him. The last thing he heard before slipping into unconsciousness was Gil's voice shouting his name, terrified.

xXx

 _This story keeps (more or less) with the events of Descendants 2, at least the ending, which is why Uma isn't mentioned. There is also a reason for Chad behaving as he does. He's not just being an ass for the sake of being an ass. But that will all come to light in "Silver Tide."_

 _Hope you enjoyed it and as always, be lovely to each other._


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